He stared down at him,hurt and shocked. "Ash please..." He lowered his head and gently tried to pull his hand back again. He was shaking now,trying not to fall again,not to fall for this again. Not to fall for Ash again,because it had cause him to fall the first time and he didn't want to break again.

He sighed, and his eyes closed, letting Jason pull away. "You were right," he murmured, his voice nearly lost in the darkness. "I couldnt do it alone. I should have listened to you back in Tir Na Nog."

"And I should have just done as you'd wanted before,to move on." He said,sitting by where Ash lay with a wince from the crunching sound of glass from his tail. "It's only been harder to do so now,and...." He pulled his legs close and put his head down on his knees despite how much pain it was clear he was in. His voice shook as he spoke again. " I'm just trying to teach myself that love doesn't hurt,to understand that now that I've found it again...that it doesn't have to hurt,doesn't have to pull me down...that it's safe and okay to feel.Not something I have to kill off inside of me,and end up killing off part of myself in the process."

Puck stood in the doorway, a rather dangerous smile on his face, watching us with narrowed green eyes. Ash turned his face away from Jason. Puck stared at Jason, eyes hard and uncomfortable. "Nurse wants to talk to you," he said at last, turning away. "Says to leave his royal iciness alone so he can sleep. Better go see what she has to say before she starts throwing her coffee mug."

Jason sighed,scared for a moment of that smile Puck had had on,shivers running down his spine. He nodded and stood. He quickly turned his back to Ash,seeming to feel a bit better not having to look at the prince of ice as he walked toward where the healer had been with Puck. He quickly came over to Puck,though,and whispered "Sorry." before turning and walking to the healer again.

The nurse sat at the table with a steaming mug of what was probably coffee since the whole room smelled like it. The nurse glanced up and waved Jason to the opposite chair. "Sit down."

He nodded politely and sat as told to. "Ma'am." he said,with a duck of his head.

Puck joined them, plunking into the seat beside Jason, munching an apple he'd gotten from who knew where.

"Robin tells me youre going on a dangerous mission after this," she began, cupping her withered hands around the mug, staring into the coffee. "He wouldnt give me details, but thats why you need the Winter prince healthy, so he can help you. Is that right?"

Jason nodded silently.

"The problem is, if you go through with this plan, youll almost certainly kill him."